


Chocolate

by mewgirl1995



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Dating, F/M, Falling In Love, Family, Female Chara, Female Frisk, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Redemption, Soulless Undertale Pacifist Route
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-30
Updated: 2016-06-30
Packaged: 2018-07-19 04:15:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7344508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mewgirl1995/pseuds/mewgirl1995
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Underground has finally been saved after countless RESETs. In a last ditch effort to help Chara, Sans and Alphys separate her from Frisk. With her newfound life and her soullessness, Chara must figure out how to regain her emotions and good judgement. Though Frisk is not the only one who wants to save Chara once and for all. Sometimes a little optimism, friendship, and understanding is all someone needs to regain meaning.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chocolate

           After leaving the Underground, Chara lost all semblance of control. The world continued on and Frisk choose to not SAVE, LOAD, or RESET. All Chara could do was watch from the sidelines. She lost interest in commenting on every move that Frisk made. Instead, she fell silent. Frisk’s worry was apparent. “What do you think?” She would prompt every so often. Chara refused to respond.

            Every previous RESET broke Chara apart. Frisk’s initial violent run ruined Chara. Without a SOUL, she could not control the sudden urge to destroy everything even long after Frisk had realized she did not have to harm the monsters. Frisk killed out of fear. Chara killed to feel again. When Chara was in control, she slaughtered everyone over and over until Frisk could stop her. Despite that, Frisk still tried to rescue her. She tried to save Chara like she saved Asriel. It wouldn’t work. It hadn’t really even worked for Asriel. After they left the Underground, Chara figured he had returned to being a flower again. It did not matter since they had not seen him again.

            After years of silence, Frisk did something stupid enough to warrant a comment from her ever present “friend.” Chara watched with a sullen expression as Frisk and Sans spoke, laughing together as they sat side by side on the steps of Toriel’s house. The skeleton monster had his arm around Frisk’s waist and he held her close. Chara gritted her teeth. Sans and Frisk had become much closer than Chara would have liked. After all, the skeleton had caused a fair share of LOADs. He had brutally murdered Chara over and over again. The taste of blood from when she was still in control haunted her.

            “I’m so glad,” Frisk said softly. Chara hadn’t been listening to the conversation so the meaning was lost to her. Frisk reached over and grasped Sans’ hand with hers. A faint blue blush crossed his cheeks. Chara narrowed her eyes.

            “so am i.” Sans pulled Frisk closer and kissed her. Frisk’s face lit up in excitement, while Chara’s face twisted into disgust.

            Fury erupted throughout Chara. “Remember when he killed you?” She said coldly. “What are you doing? He remembers each and every time he blasted you to pieces. The worst thing is he doesn’t know it was me.” With a surprised look, Frisk pulled away from Sans and shot a glance at Chara. “I’ve never met someone as naïve and simple-minded as you.”

            “frisk? what’s wrong?” Chara couldn’t see Sans’ expression, but he sounded worried.

            “Nothing,” Frisk lied. “I just thought I heard something.”

            “I bet he enjoyed it,” Chara continued. She paced back and forth while picking at her nails. “After all, why go to such lengths to beat you up if not for some sick sadistic pleasure?”

            Frisk began to tremble. She tore her gaze away and stared down at her lap. Chara wondered if Frisk had forgotten about her. Sometimes it seemed like Frisk didn’t even notice her presence. All Chara had to do was speak and then she became visible once more to her partner. It was so easy. “I should go inside,” Frisk said quickly. “It’s late and Mom’s probably worried.” As Frisk stood, Chara walked over to her side. She grinned when she saw the heartbroken look on Sans’ face.

            As Frisk rushed to go inside, Chara giggled. “Guess you’re still easy to manipulate, huh partner?”

            “I thought you disappeared,” Frisk said. Chara frowned. Apparently her long bout of silence had resulted in her becoming completely invisible even to Frisk.

            “Nope. I’m still around just in time to ruin your misguided romance,” Chara said. “I mean; you should thank me really. Right partner? I stopped you from making a-”

            “I’ll find a way to save you,” Frisk interrupted, making Chara laugh again.

            “You’re so loathsome.”

            The following day, Frisk explained the whole situation to Sans and Alphys with a shaky voice and tears in her eyes. Both monsters were hurt that Frisk had waited almost seven years to tell them the full truth, but they wanted to do everything in their power to help Frisk. “Don’t worry!” Alphys said after Frisk finished speaking. “I’m sure we can figure something out.”

            “yeah, it’ll be alright kiddo.” Sans grinned at Frisk, holding her hands tight in his. “we’ll separate that demon from ya.”

            Chara rolled her eyes as Frisk protested. “I can save Chara. She’s not irreparable.” Sans did not look convinced. He shrugged and did not say anything else.

            Once again Chara fell silent. She sulked, watching and waiting as the machine was completed. It would fail. Without Chara’s attachment to Frisk she would cease to exist. It would be impossible to survive without a SOUL. Though at that point, disappearing would be better than living as Frisk’s shadow. Chara had grown frustrated of watching the world pass by without having any influence on it. All she could feel was what Frisk taught her. The invaluable partner that brought her back to life taught Chara to murder and kill. Fear and anger enveloped Chara replacing any feelings her SOUL once held.

            “I don’t understand,” Chara muttered, watching as Frisk helped Alphys and Sans work on the machine. “I don’t understand why you never want to kill them anymore.”  

            As the machine came closer to completion, Chara’s anger overwhelmed her. At least before Frisk had been passive and ignored Chara. Actively trying to save her was unacceptable. It broke all the laws that Chara thought she knew. As Asriel said, “The world is kill or be killed.” The words echoed in Chara’s head. They had been etched into her existence each time Frisk killed for fear of her own life. What was the point of letting them all live? The world deserved to be destroyed. It was a vile, awful thing. Chara would rather die than live another day in that world. That was why she welcomed the darkness that came when the separation machine whirred to life.

            Chirping filled Chara’s ears. She stirred and opened her eyes, finding herself laying in a bed. Toriel sat beside her, holding her small hand in her own large paws. “My child,” Toriel said as tears came to her eyes. “You are alive. I cannot believe it.” Chara pulled her hand away and sat up, examining both of her hands. They were pale. They did not resemble Frisk’s darker skin. The machine had worked.

            “How do you feel?” Frisk was on the other side of the bed. Her eyes shone with excitement. Chara’s face twisted into a scowl. The machine may have separated them, but Chara still felt the emptiness that could only come from lacking a SOUL.

            Instead of responding, Chara leapt forward. In an instant her hands were around Frisk’s throat. The chair Frisk sat in clattered to the floor along with the two humans. “I hate you!” Chara growled, squeezing hard. Frisk’s eyes widened in fear. “You ruined me! I hate you! I hate-”

            A blue glow surrounded Chara as she was thrown backwards off of Frisk. She crashed into the wall, knocking several portraits down. The force of the impact left her head spinning. As her vision clear, she saw Sans kneeling by Frisk. His left eye glowed and two blasters appeared. Chara glared back at him.

            “Sans wait!” Toriel cried out. “Let me speak with her. She is my child after all. Please do not harm her.” Sans glanced to Toriel, but made no move to remove the blasters.

            With a cough, Frisk sat up, rubbing at her neck. She laid her hand on Sans’. “It’s alright. I’m fine.” Her voice sounded hoarse and her neck looked as if it had been set on fire.

            The blasters disappeared. “What? You don’t want to relive your favorite moments of the past timelines?” Chara taunted. “I guess I can’t LOAD this time if you blast me to smithereens. It would be a one-time rush.”

            “you’re a real freak,” Sans said, glaring back at Chara. He held Frisk’s hand tight and stood, pulling her up as well. Frisk exchanged a concerned look with Toriel before Sans lead her from the room.

            “I am so happy to see you again Chara,” Toriel said. Her voice was gentle. She approached Chara as if she was a wounded animal. “Please just stay calm. I know this must be hard for you.”

            “I don’t have a SOUL,” Chara said. “You all should have left me alone.”

            “It may take some time to adjust but I am sure you will be able to,” Toriel said. “We are all-”

            “No,” Chara said. “That’s not my purpose. I can’t feel anything. You can’t possibly understand what that’s like!”

            “My child.” Toriel reached out and Chara slapped her paw away. “Chara?”

            “Wouldn’t you rather have your real child back?” Chara pulled her knees to her chest, turning her face away from Toriel.

            “You are my real child.”

            “You’re a liar.”

            Toriel refused to listen. She pulled Chara into her arms and hugged her tight. “You are safe now. We will do everything we can to keep you safe.”

            The embrace wasn’t comforting. As usual, Chara felt nothing. Without a SOUL she only felt rage. Her only rush of emotions came from killing. Everything had become distorted. Though there was no point in trying to convince Toriel. “Is there any chocolate?” Chara asked.

            A delighted look crossed Toriel’s face. She nodded and stood, gently helping Chara to her feet. “Come along my child.”

            The house on the Surface resembled their original home. Chara glanced around at the decorations. It even had the same water sausages and golden flowers as the original house. Frisk and Sans were together in the kitchen. The minute Chara entered Sans’ eyes were locked on her. Distrust covered his expressions. Frisk smiled and stood, walking over to Chara. “Here,” She said, holding out a chocolate bar. Her voice was still hoarse. “We got this for you. I know it’s your favorite.” Chara took the candy bar, but didn’t say anything.

            “After taking some time to adjust perhaps you can start schoolwork,” Toriel said. “Frisk will be attending the human university soon, but we will probably-”

            “That sounds boring,” Chara said, walking over across the kitchen. She pulled open a drawer. It slammed shut almost immediately. As Chara glanced back she grinned at Sans, whose left eye was glowing again.

            “looking for something buddy?” He asked. His posture was casual, but Chara had learned to read his expressions well. He leaned on one hand and swung his legs back and forth lazily, but his eyes remained sharp and vigilant. “you’re not going to find anything good in there.” Chara shrugged. She leaned against the counter and tore open the candy bar.

            “You going to hang around here forever?” She asked. “Don’t you have a brother to care for? What was his name again?” She bit off a piece of the chocolate, sucking on it with a thoughtful look. “Geez, I’m so forgetful. If my head wasn’t attached to my body, I’d lose it.” Her grin grew wider. “Like your brother.”

            Sans’ expression grew darker. “you really think i trust you to be alone with frisk after you attacked her?”

            “I was just in shock from being brought back to life.”

            “wow, if i was a complete bonehead i might just believe that.” Sans rolled his eyes. “you ain’t a good person.” Toriel glanced down at the floor. Her bottom lip trembled. “so, i think i’ll hang around a bit longer.”

            “Whatever.” Chara glanced out the window. “Like I care.”

            The original plan was for Frisk and Chara to share a room. Though Chara’s immediate violent attack led to her staying in the guest room for the time being. Sans didn’t leave Frisk’s side. Annoyed that she wouldn’t be able to get to Frisk for a while, Chara paced around her room. She examined each item with scrutiny until she passed before the mirror. She paused and stared at her reflection. Her bright red eyes stared back. She always hated them. They made her look evil.

            “It’s me, Chara.” Reaching out to touch the mirror, Chara frowned. She had grown older. Her attachment to Frisk’s SOUL aged her along with Frisk, though, her physical appearance made no difference to her. If they added up all of the time spent in previous timelines, both her and Frisk had grown much older than they appeared. Chara sighed and ran a hand through her hair. It brushed her shoulders. “A bit long,” Chara said aloud. She turned away from the mirror and walked over to the bed, crawling into it.

            The next day Asgore came over. He cried more than Toriel and hugged Chara for a long time. She did not hug back. Sans watched her with an annoyed look. He shook his head and strode away, leaving Chara alone with her parents. They bored her. Everything was the same as when she was attached to Frisk. Everything bored her. She laid on the floor of the living room, staring at the ceiling. Asgore and Toriel had given up attempts to talk for the time being. They left her alone in the house and headed out. Chara wasn’t sure what they were doing. She didn’t care.

            The door flew open. “HELLO! FRISK? BROTHER? ARE YOU HERE? THE GREAT PAPYRUS HAS ARRIVED!”

            Chara tilted her head back, staring at the tall skeleton who just entered. “Great,” She said with a small grin. It was always fun to kill Papyrus and no one was around to stop her.

            “OH, HELLO THERE,” Papyrus said, grinning at Chara. “WOWIE YOU DO LOOK A LOT LIKE FRISK, AT LEAST AT FIRST GLANCE.” Chara stood and headed over to the kitchen, strolling at a quick pace. With her luck, Sans and Frisk would return at any moment. “I’M-”

            “I know who you are Papyrus,” Chara said as she pulled open a drawer. It was empty. She frowned and opened the next one, which only contained batteries.

            “MY BROTHER MUST HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT ME THEN!”

            “Nope.” Chara tried the third drawer and found what she was looking for. She picked it up, feeling the sharp edge of the blade. When she turned back to Papyrus he looked worried.

            “THAT LOOK ON YOUR FACE,” He said. “IT’S REALLY WEIRD.” The skeleton shook his head. “BUT DO NOT WORRY HUMAN! I TRUST THAT YOU WILL-”

            Chara raised the knife and lunged at Papyrus. To her shock, he caught her wrist. The knife clattered to the ground before Chara could do anything. Papyrus had never defended himself in the past timelines. Chara stared at him with a mixture of surprise and anger.

            “SANS WAS WORRIED YOU WOULD BEHAVE THIS WAY,” Papyrus said, still smiling. “BUT DON’T WORRY! I AM CONFIDENT THAT YOU CAN BE A GOOD PERSON. YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER.”

            “You always say that,” Chara growled.

            The front door opened. To Chara’s surprise, Papyrus let go of her wrist and kicked the knife away. It slid under the fridge out of sight. “where did everyone go?” Sans’ voice carried into the kitchen.

            “Mom said she wanted to go shopping, maybe Chara went with her?”

            Sans and Frisk walked into the kitchen. When Sans saw Papyrus with Chara, his eyes widened in horror. “HELLO BROTHER!” Papyrus said, grinning at Sans before turning to smile at Chara. “I JUST MET CHARA, SHE-”

            “did she hurt you?” Sans interrupted, rushing to his brother. Chara stepped away from Papyrus and eyed the skeletons with a wary look.

            “OF COURSE NOT,” Papyrus said. “YOU NEED TO HAVE MORE FAITH IN PEOPLE BROTHER.”

            “she doesn’t have a soul bro,” Sans said, shaking his head. “don’t trust her.”

            Frisk laid a hand on Sans’ arm. “It’s alright. Nothing happened, right Papyrus?”

            “OF COURSE NOT!” The skeleton lied much more easily than Chara would have expected. He laid a hand on his brother’s other shoulder. “PLEASE DO NOT WORRY SANS.”

            When Sans looked to Chara, she smiled innocently. The skeleton glared at her and glanced to the bruises around Frisk’s neck. “mettaton’s show is on soon.”

            “LET US ALL GO WATCH IT TOGETHER!” Papyrus looped his arm around Chara’s, dragging her into the living room. “IT WILL BE A GREAT BONDING EXPERIENCE!”

            “Don’t touch me,” Chara said with an annoyed look.

            While Mettaton’s show went on, Chara sat in an armchair at the far end of the living room. She curled herself into a ball and ignored the others as much as possible. Though it became harder as Papyrus continually tried to initiate conversation with her. “WHAT DO YOU THINK HUMAN? METTATON’S SHOW SURE IS GREAT! I AM GLAD HUMANS ENJOY IT JUST AS MUCH AS WE DID DOWN IN THE UNDERGROUND!”

            “Uh huh. I suppose it’s nice if you like subpar plots and acting.” Chara buried her face in a pillow.

            Despite Chara’s attempts to ignore him, Papyrus’ optimism was pervasive. “I AM SURE IF YOU WATCHED A BIT MORE OF IT YOU WILL ENJOY IT. HOW CAN YOU ENJOY IT IF YOUR HEAD IS BURIED IN A PILLOW HALF THE TIME?” Chara groaned. “IN FACT METTATON MAY BE IN TOWN SOON AND THEN-”

            “don’t bother,” Sans said. “people without souls don’t get excited about meeting pop stars.”

            “You don’t need to point it out constantly!” With a furious look, Chara threw the pillow across the room. Glowing blue, it stopped midair and then fell to the ground. Sans’ eye returned to normal as he narrowed his eyes at her. “Oh look at Chara, look at her lack of a SOUL. How neat.” Rising to her feet, Chara turned and stormed away. She ignored Papyrus and Frisk’s sympathetic looks as she rushed to the guest room and slammed the door behind her.

            Papyrus must have decided that he would save Chara. He became just as determined as Frisk. The skeleton returned day after day, trying to engage with her. Chara brushed him off again and again, but he would not leave her alone. “HOW ARE YOU TODAY CHARA?” Papyrus would pop up anywhere, startling her. “I’M SURE YOU’RE BETTER NOW THAT YOUR GREAT FRIEND PAPYRUS IS HERE!”

            “Go away,” Chara growled back. She had tried to hide in the backyard to be alone, but nowhere was safe from the peppy skeleton.

            “I BROUGHT OVER SPAGHETTI FOR YOU!” Papyrus offered Chara a small plastic container filled to the brim with spaghetti. She glared at it.

            “That spaghetti is disgusting.” Turning away, Chara refused to take the container.

            “WELL, I SUPPOSE IT MAY BE A BIT OF AN ACQUIRED TASTE, BUT ONCE YOU GET TO LOVE IT THAN YOU WON’T EVER WANT TO EAT ANYTHING ELSE! SANS EATS IT ALL THE TIME WITH ME!”

            “Sans is an idiot,” Chara said.

            “MY BROTHER MAY BE LAZY, BUT HE IS CERTAINLY NOT STUPID.”

            To Chara’s complete infuriation, Papyrus sat down beside her. “You seem incapable of understanding that I want to be left alone.”

            “NO ONE REALLY WANTS TO BE ALONE,” Papyrus said. “YOU JUST NEED A GOOD FRIEND TO HELP YOU. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, CAN BE THAT GOOD FRIEND FOR YOU! ONCE YOU ARE COMFORTABLE WE WILL DO ALL SORTS OF GOOD FRIEND THINGS. THERE ARE PLENTY OF ADVENTURES TO BE HAD AROUND EBOTT AND THE HUMANS HERE ARE-”

            “Awful,” Chara said. “All humans are awful.”

            “THE ONES WHO LIVE HERE ARE KIND,” Papyrus said.

            “Aren’t they scared of you?”

            “WELL, THEY WERE AT FIRST, BUT THEN FRISK SPOKE TO THEM! SHE TOLD THEM ALL ABOUT HOW WE COULD EXIST TOGETHER IN PEACE. PLANS WERE MADE, DISCUSSIONS HAD, AND IT’S REALLY A LONG STORY THAT I DOUBT YOU CARE TOO MUCH ABOUT. ALL THAT MATTERS IS THAT EVERYTHING TURNED OUT GREAT IN THE END!”

            Humans did not tolerate change. Chara knew that firsthand. She felt their attacks rain down on Asriel. They struck him down without a second thought. Those same humans had chased her away day after day when she tried to ask for food or a place to sleep. All humans cared about were themselves.

            “WELL I’LL LEAVE THE SPAGHETTI HERE WITH YOU, I’M SURE YOU’LL GET HUNGRY AND EAT IT LATER.” When Chara refused to speak anymore, Papyrus left. “WE ARE ALL PLAYING VIDEO GAMES INSIDE. CURRENTLY, UNDYNE HAS THE TOP SCORE OUT OF ALL OF US, BUT PERHAPS YOU COULD BEAT HER? I COULD TEACH YOU HOW TO PLAY! I’M A PRO AT THE VIDEO GAMES!” Chara shrugged. “WELL, ALRIGHT. SEE YOU LATER THEN!” As Chara turned to watch Papyrus walk inside, she spotted Sans lurking by the back door. They exchanged glares before Chara turned away.

            Each day passed with another friendly interaction with Papyrus. Always under Sans’ watchful eyes, Chara could not get an opportunity to try to kill Papyrus again, not that she had put much effort into trying. Even back in the Underground, the younger of the skeleton brothers always infuriated Chara. He was the only one who still believed in her, even as she struck him down. No matter what she said to him or did before killing him, he always smiled at her and said that she could do better. He was wrong.

            Late at night Chara paced the hallways of Toriel’s house. It allowed her to eavesdrop if anyone was up late. “You’re being too hard on her.” Frisk’s soft voice carried into the hallway. “How can we help her if we just continually remind her that she has no SOUL?”

            “she tried to strangle you to death the moment you woke up kiddo,” Sans said. “if we’re not careful-”

            “Please, can you try to be a bit kinder to her?” While phrased as a question, Frisk spoke the words with an insistent tone. Chara rolled her eyes and stalked back to her bedroom.

            Summer was a miserable time. It always grew too hot on the Surface. Chara laid on the floor of the living room. Everyone had gone out to a summer festival, leaving her alone in the house. Toriel and Frisk both insisted she accompanied them, but she refused. “It’s too hot,” Chara said with a sigh. Even in a tank top and shorts with every fan in the house turned on, Chara felt too warm.

            “PERHAPS YOU SHOULD GO SOMEWHERE COOLER?”

            Chara jumped and sat up, glancing over at the door. She had not heard it open. Papyrus stood there with the same grin as always. He wore a floral shirt, shorts, and flip flops with socks. Large black sunglasses were precariously balanced on the top of his head. Even in the hot weather, he still wore a pair of black gloves. Chara glared at him. “What do you want?”

            Papyrus walked over and offered a hand to her. “I THOUGHT THAT IT MAY BE A BIT STRESSFUL BEING AROUND MY BROTHER,” He said. “I KNOW HE HAS NOT BEEN KIND TO YOU AND YOU NEVER SEEM TO WANT TO JOIN US IN ANY ACTIVITIES!”

            “For good reason.”

            “I THOUGHT THAT PERHAPS WE COULD HANG OUT! JUST THE TWO OF US? CHARA AND THE GREAT PAPYRUS! HOW DOES THAT SOUND?” It sounded like an opportunity to kill Papyrus. Chara grinned and took the skeleton’s hand. He pulled her to her feet. “LET US HEAD OUT! THIS IS SURE TO BE A GREAT ADVENTURE! NYEH HEH HEH!”

            Outside of Toriel’s house was a bright red sports car. Chara stared at it with an uneasy look. “Can you actually drive this?”

            “OF COURSE! I PRACTICED FOR A LONG TIME AFTER ALL!”

            Still unsure, Chara walked over to the passenger side door and slipped into the car, ensuring her seatbelt was fastened. “Where exactly are we going?”

            “IT’S A SURPRISE,” Papyrus said as he started the car. “BUT I AM SURE YOU WILL ENJOY IT!”

            The car jerked backwards and turned out onto the street. Chara watched the passing houses with a dissatisfied stare. She reached over and began to fiddle with the radio. “You are more stupid than I thought,” She said, switching between the stations. “Going out alone with me.”

            “I AM NOT WORRIED,” Papyrus said. “I HAVE FULL CONFIDENCE THAT YOU WILL NOT HARM ME. AFTER ALL, YOU’RE WORKING TO BECOME A GOOD PERSON!”

            “No I’m not.” Chara switched the radio off. All the music was too cheerful and upbeat. She leaned her head back against the seat, watching as the sky rushed past overhead. “I don’t have a SOUL. Haven’t you listened to your brother?”

            “THAT DOES NOT MATTER,” Papyrus said. “EVERYONE CAN BE A GOOD PERSON IF THEY TRY.”

            “I’ve killed you more times than I can count,” Chara said. “Or do you not know about the other timelines? Your brother and Frisk remember. After all, I used Frisk’s own hands to kill you. Again and again and-” Chara broke off when she felt Papyrus’ hand on hers. She whipped her head over to look at him.

            “I KNOW YOU CAN DO BETTER!” He said, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

            “You always say that,” Chara growled back.

            “THAT’S BECAUSE IT’S TRUE! DON’T WORRY! I WILL HELP YOU GET BACK ON THE STRAIGHT AND NARROW!”

            For a moment, Chara wondered if Papyrus was right. She glanced away again and he pulled his hand away. Chara was surprised to find that her hand felt colder without his. She stared out at the passing scenery. The drive was taking them away from the city and back towards Mt. Ebott. Rolling green hills appeared. As they drove along, trees began to pop up. Instead of going straight towards Mt. Ebott, Papyrus turned and headed down another road. In the distance, Chara caught sight of a large body of water. A lake was hidden away in the forest, right beneath the mountain. Chara sat up and stared at it in surprise. “I never knew this was here.”

            “UNDYNE AND I FOUND IT ONE DAY WHILE WE WERE OUT,” Papyrus said. “IT IS A WONDERFUL PLACE. I AM SURE YOU WILL LIKE IT! YOU NEED SOME PEACE AND QUIET, RIGHT CHARA?” The genuine caring in Papyrus’ eyes caught Chara off guard. She glanced away.

            “It’s hard to get peace and quiet when you’re around,” Chara muttered, fiddling with the seatbelt.

            Papyrus continued to chatter on about the lake as they approached. “THERE’S A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS HERE! LUCKILY, NO DOGS AS FAR AS I CAN TELL!” Once they parked and got out of the car, he led her over to a small grassy cliff that hung over the water.

            “I could push you in and you would drown,” Chara commented.

            “I AM AN EXCELLENT SWIMMER.” Papyrus sat down on the grass, legs swinging above the water. Chara frowned and sat beside him.

            The water was still. Chara glanced around at the serene area. In the distance, she spotted a large black and white bird perched on a tall branch. She cocked her head to one side. “What’s that?”

            “THAT IS THE FISHING BIRD!” Papyrus’ eyes lit up in excitement. “SHE IS SUPER DUPER IMPRESSIVE! WATCH AND SEE HUMAN!”

            The bird stretched out its long wings and took to the sky. Chara watched as the bird circled the lake a few times before diving into the water. Chara’s eyes widened in surprise as the bird went head and feet first into the water. A moment later, the bird surfaced. It stretched its huge wings out and flapped hard, emerging from the water with a trout in its talons. “Wow that actually was impressive.” The bird carried the fish over to another tree where a huge nest was nestled in the branches.

            “SHE HAS BABIES THIS TIME OF YEAR,” Papyrus explained. “IT TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT TO LOVE AND CARE FOR EACH OF THEM.”

            Chara stared down at her hands and considered Toriel and Asgore. Her own parents had been trying so hard to care for her. She felt a twinge of guilt for resisting them so much. “Why are you doing this?”

            “WELL I ENJOY HANGING OUT HERE AND I THOUGHT-”

            “Why are you being so nice to me?” Chara snapped, growing impatient. “You have been trying to get closer to me for weeks now. It doesn’t matter how much I push you away. You just don’t give up!”

            For a moment Papyrus fell silent. He stared ahead at the lake. Then, he turned and smiled at Chara. “IT’S BECAUSE I THINK YOU ARE WORTH SAVING. EVERYONE IS!”

            Chara stared back in complete shock. For the first time in a long time, she felt a warm feeling. It was indescribable as it had been lost to her for so long. Again, Chara turned and watched the fishing bird. All of the babies had finished eating and the bird perched nearby, cleaning her feathers with her beak. Chara swung her legs back and forth and stared down at the clear water. A cool breeze ruffled her hair. It was a nice day out. A small smile spread across Chara’s face as she turned to look at Papyrus. He met her gaze with another smile.

            The annoying tune from Mettaton’s TV show broke the serene moment. Papyrus fumbled with his phone as he pulled it from his pocket. “HELLO, IT IS I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS! BROTHER? YES. I KNOW THAT. WHY? WELL, CHARA AND I DECIDED TO HANG OUT!” A small frown crossed Papyrus’ face. “WE WILL RETURN LATER SANS. HAVE FUN AT THE FESTIVAL!” Papyrus hung up his phone and returned it to his pocket. It began to ring again almost immediately.

            “He has good reason not to trust me,” Chara said. She turned away and sighed.

            “I TRUST YOU.” Again, Papyrus laid his hand over Chara’s. She looked back and smiled a little. “LET US GO EXPLORE THE BEACH! COME ALONG CHARA, PERHAPS WE WILL SEE MORE WILDLIFE!” Papyrus leapt to his feet and pulled Chara up along with him. As Papyrus raced away, Chara hurried to follow him. “WE CAN WALK ON A PATH ALONG THE LAKE AND IT LEADS INTO THE FOREST! THERE’S PLENTY TO LOOK AT SO I AM SURE YOU WON’T BE BORED!”

            “Sure,” Chara said, glancing around the forest. “Maybe I won’t.”

            Alongside the lake was a small family of ducks. Chara watched them with a curious look. She walked over towards them and they all raced away, quacking at her. As they entered the water, Chara picked up a small stone. If she threw it well enough, then the ducks would scatter. “DON’T SCARE THEM! THEY ARE QUITE SENSITIVE.” Chara glanced back at Papyrus.

            “Wouldn’t it be fun to see them scatter?” Chara turned the rock over in her hand, rubbing it and considering whether she should throw it.

            “I DO NOT THINK THEY WOULD ENJOY IT.” Papyrus walked over. He stood beside Chara, grinning at the family of ducks. “WHAT IF THE BABIES GOT SEPARATED? THEIR MOTHER WOULD BE QUITE WORRIED.”

            Without thinking about it, Chara dropped the rock. She glanced up at Papyrus and then walked away, continuing along the path. “What else is around here?”

            “PLENTY OF FOREST THINGS! THERE ARE MUSHROOMS, DEER, LOTS MORE BIRDS, AND FLOWERS! THOUGH NONE OF THEM TALK, WHICH IS A SHAME.” Papyrus strode ahead on the path and Chara followed behind, glancing around. “I DON’T KNOW MUCH ABOUT THE FOREST, BUT FEEL FREE TO ASK IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS! I CAN COME UP WITH AN ANSWER!”

            Chara stared down at the path. She saw a small snake slithering around and walked around it, rather than stomping on it. “How do you know right from wrong?” Embarrassed, Chara did not look up.

            “THAT’S NOT A QUESTION ABOUT THE FOREST, BUT I WILL ANSWER IT ALL THE SAME.” Papyrus paused and Chara nearly ran into him. “DO YOU LIKE BEING UNHAPPY?”

            “Of course not,” Chara said. “That’s a stupid question.”

            “WELL, THEN WOULDN’T IT BE BAD TO MAKE OTHERS UNHAPPY?” Papyrus turned back. He smiled at Chara. “YOU SHOULD LIVE OUT YOUR LIFE IN A WAY THAT MAKES AS MANY PEOPLE HAPPY AS POSSIBLE! DON’T HURT OTHERS OR DRAG THEM DOWN! AT LEAST THAT IS HOW I LIVE MY LIFE, WHICH IS WHY I WANTED TO BE FRIENDS WITH YOU SO BADLY!” Chara stared at Papyrus with a shocked look. The skeleton continued smiling as he spoke, “BELIEVE IT OR NOT, I USED TO NOT HAVE MANY FRIENDS. THAT’S WHY I WANTED TO BE A ROYAL GUARD SO BADLY! BEING LONELY IS NO FUN. I SAW THAT SAME LONELINESS IN YOU, SO I DECIDED IT WOULD BE MY RESPONSIBILITY TO BE YOUR FRIEND!”

            “That’s-That’s really dumb. How could you even come to that conclusion?” Chara managed to say. She clenched her fists to keep from crying. The feeling in her chest burned. It was stronger than anything she had felt since dying. “I’m not lonely. I can’t feel lonely.” She barely managed to choke the words out. Both her throat and chest felt tight. “I mean I don’t-”

            “SOMETIMES EVERYONE FEELS A BIT LONELY.” Papyrus laid a hand on Chara’s shoulder. “RIGHT?”

            Something had changed. Chara failed to notice until that moment. She felt something warm again. She looked up at Papyrus with an unsure look. Had she been lonely? Chara didn’t know how to tell. It did hurt to see everyone else out having fun while she was alone. Instead of replying, Chara chose to remain quiet. She continued down the path, pulling away from Papyrus. Walking along, Chara glanced around at the surroundings.

            “THERE’S LOTS OF THESE FLOWERS AROUND,” Papyrus said, gesturing to a patch of golden flowers. “THEIR SEEDS ARE STICKY SO THEY SPREAD LIKE CRAZY!” Leaning down, Papyrus plucked a flower and turned, tucking it behind Chara’s ear. “THEY’RE YOUR FAVORITE RIGHT? TORIEL TOLD ME!”

            “Yeah they are,” Chara said. A small smile crossed her face for a brief moment.

            “COME ALONG! THERE’S EVEN MORE FLOWERS UP AHEAD!”

            As Papyrus rushed off, Chara hurried to follow. They trekked up through the mountain. Full of energy, Papyrus rushed ahead, talking a mile a minute as he spoke to Chara. She hurried behind him, struggling to keep pace with his energy. After a while the sun began to set. As the pair reached the peak, Chara caught sight of the first few stars appearing in the night sky. She stared up at them in wonder. Without the glare of city lights, the Milky Way was visible. It glittered in the distance, lighting up the night.

            “ALL THOSE STARS SURE ARE PRETTY!” Papyrus said. He laid back in the grass staring up at the sky. Chara laid beside him. “MY BROTHER LIKES TO COME UP HERE. HE LOVES ALL SORTS OF SPACE STUFF. SOMETIMES FRISK AND I TAGALONG TOO. THERE’S THIS TELESCOPE SANS HAS THAT HE’S ALWAYS PLAYING WITH. THOUGH I LIKE TO LOOK AT ALL THE STARS AT ONCE! WHAT ABOUT YOU CHARA?”

            “It’s fine either way,” Chara said. Grinning, she closed her eyes. The hike up there had been exhausting. “This world may not be so bad after all.” Everything was peaceful. After a while, Chara heard loud calls from owls. The hoots echoed through the forest. They were eerie and beautiful at the same time. It was nice being away from the noise of the city. Before long Chara felt herself dozing off. Her breathing slowed and she drifted off to sleep, listening to the soft sounds of the forest.

            When Chara woke up she was back in the car with wind rushing past her face. Yawning, she sat up and stretched. “YOU’RE AWAKE! THAT’S GOOD. TORIEL WAS GETTING WORRIED ABOUT YOU BEING GONE SO LONG SO I DECIDED WE SHOULD HEAD BACK. THOUGH YOU SEEMED TO BE IN SUCH A PEACEFUL SLEEP-”

            “You carried me down the mountain?” Chara asked. Her face grew hot as Papyrus nodded. “Wouldn’t it have been easier to just wake me up? Why go to so much effort?”

            “YOU WERE SMILING IN YOUR SLEEP,” Papyrus said. “AND YOU DON’T SEEM TO SMILE VERY MUCH. IT WAS REALLY NO BOTHER. AFTER ALL I HAVE VERY STRONG MUSCLES.”

            “You don’t have muscles,” Chara muttered. “You’re a skeleton.” She glanced over to Papyrus and he grinned back at her.

            “DID YOU HAVE FUN TODAY?” He asked.

            Chara shrugged. “I guess.” She felt warm and comfortable. It was nice.

            When Papyrus pulled up in front of Toriel’s house, Chara stepped out of the car and headed inside. “GOODBYE CHARA! SEE YOU TOMORROW!” Chara paused and turned back as Papyrus waved goodbye to her.

            “Bye, see you tomorrow.”

            Everyone had gone to bed besides Frisk and Sans. As Chara came into the house, Frisk smiled at her and took her hands. “I’m so glad that you and Papyrus are friends,” She said. Sans glared at Chara and did not say anything.

            “Whatever.” Chara pulled her hands away from Frisk’s and headed upstairs. “I’m tired. Goodnight.” Chara pulled the flower out from behind her ear and set it on the bedside table.

            As Chara laid in bed staring at the ceiling, she wondered about what she’d felt that day. She laid a hand over her chest. It had been such a long time since she had been able to feel without killing. She wanted to desperately hold onto it for as long as possible. Rolling over, Chara curled up and feel asleep.

            The next day Papyrus took Chara to downtown Ebott. In the summertime all of the shops put a lot more effort into advertising. The whole place was crowded with humans and monsters alike. Chara gaped at the huge colorful signs accompanied by a variety of goods. “WHEN WE CAME TO THE SURFACE, LOTS OF MONSTERS WERE ABLE TO OPEN UP SHOPS HERE. EVEN GRILLBY’S OPENED UP THAT GREASY RESTAURANT HERE.” Papyrus gestured across the street.

            “That food’s bad for you,” Chara said as she wrinkled her nose in disgust. “It doesn’t even taste good.”

            “I AM GLAD YOU UNDERSTAND! MY BROTHER AND UNDYNE SEEM TO THINK OTHERWISE!”

            Chara peered in at all of the shops. From what she could see all of the humans and monsters seemed to be getting along well. One little shop had a large glittering sign. As Chara slowed, she spotted a small picture in the window of the grand opening of the store. A monster and human stood arm and arm before the shop, wearing aprons with the logo. Out of curiosity, Chara headed into the shop. A little bell rang as Papyrus and she entered. Like most of downtown, the store was crowded. It was a small boutique. Clothing hung from racks around the store. With a grin, Chara examined the clothes. She flipped over a price tag and rolled her eyes. Even a simple dress was way overpriced. Not that it mattered much, Chara didn’t have any money.

            “Hey Papyrus! What are you doing here?” Chara turned to see Undyne and Alphys walking over to them.

            “CHARA AND I ARE OUT ON THE TOWN!” Papyrus said as he looped an arm around Chara’s shoulders. She stared at Undyne with a look of contempt. Besides Sans, Undyne was the hardest to kill. She willed herself to survive, living off of her determination.

            “Oh, Toriel and Asgore’s kid huh?” Undyne crossed her arms and eyed Chara. “Yeah, you’re older, but I recognize you from the pictures Asgore kept around New Home.”

            “Pictures?” Chara asked with a surprised look. Undyne nodded.

            “Yeah, god Asgore is so sentimental.” Undyne laughed. “He really missed his family.”

            “How are you feeling?” Alphys asked. She looked a bit worried. “It took a long time for you to wake up and uh Sans and Frisk hadn’t really told me anything so-”

            “I’m fine,” Chara said, glancing away. She wondered if Sans really didn’t tell Alphys about what happened when Chara woke up.

            Chara shrugged Papyrus’ arm off and walked over to examine some smaller and less expensive items on the other side of the store. As she eyed the jewelry, she glanced back and watched Undyne and Alphys as they spoke to Papyrus. Undyne spoke urgently to him and had a worried look in her eyes. Alphys fidgeted and occasionally added in something. Whatever they were saying, Papyrus disagreed. He shook his head as he spoke to them, Chara could still even catch some of what he was saying, “CHARA IS BECOMING AN EXCELLENT PERSON!”

            After a while Undyne gave up and turned to leave, Chara narrowed her eyes. She had never been very good at reading lips, but it looked like Undyne said, “I dunno Papyrus, there’s just something off about her.”  

            Turning back, Chara sighed and picked up a bottle of green nail polish. She frowned at it. Painting nails seemed to be a waste of time. The paint only lasted for a little while before chipping off again. Chara was about to set it down when Papyrus walked up. “I COULD GET THAT FOR YOU IF YOU LIKE! I KNOW YOU PROBABLY DON’T HAVE ANY MONEY.” His grin was wide.

            “I don’t want it,” Chara said, setting the bottle back down. “It’s stupid.” When Papyrus looked disappointed, Chara sighed and said, “Do whatever you want.”

            The store bag was decorated with one of the golden flowers. Chara clutched the bag tight in front of her as her and Papyrus walked down the street. “WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO NEXT? THERE IS AN ICE CREAM STORE NEARBY, MAYBE WE COULD GO THERE? IT REMINDS ME SO MUCH OF SNOWDIN AND-”

            “What did Alphys and Undyne say?” Chara continued to stare down at the bag in her hands.

            “NOT MUCH, THEY WERE JUST TALKING ABOUT THE FESTIVAL EVERYONE WENT TO YESTERDAY! PERHAPS WE COULD GO BEFORE IT LEAVES TOWN. THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF GAMES AND-”

            “Don’t lie to me.”

            “IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT THEY SAID,” Papyrus said, grinning at Chara. “WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO NEXT?”

            “I thought lying is wrong.”

            “NOT ALWAYS. IF YOU’RE GOING TO PRESERVE SOMEONE’S FEELINGS IS IT REALLY THAT BAD TO LIE?”

            “Alphys knows about the previous timelines.”

            “YES, BUT-”

            “So they know that I am-”

            “COME ON, LET’S GO GET SOME ICE CREAM! YOUR FAVORITE IS CHOCOLATE CORRECT?” Papyrus offered his hand to Chara and she stared at him for a long time before taking it. Her hand felt small in his, especially as he tightened his grip. Feeling the fabric of his gloves, Chara idly wondered why he always wore them. Wasn’t it hot during the summer? 

            The ice cream shop was owned by a blue rabbit monster. He leaned over the counter with a huge grin. Chara recognized him. She frowned as he asked, “Hello! Would you like some Nice Cream? It’s the frozen treat that warms your heart!”

            “Chocolate,” Chara said, peering in at all the flavors.

            “What about you Papyrus?” The Nice Cream Guy turned to him.

            “I DON’T KNOW, THERE’S SO MANY CHOICES! UH I WILL GO WITH STRAWBERRY TODAY!” As Papyrus paid, Chara watched the Nice Cream Guy scoop out their choices into small bowls. Once they got their Nice Cream, Chara stalked over to the table furthest from any other people. She sat down and set her bag down. After fiddling with the spoon, she took a bite and was surprised at how good it tasted. “DO YOU LIKE IT? YOUR EXPRESSION CERTAINLY SEEMS TO INDICATE THAT YOU DO!”

            “It’s really good.” Ever since being separated from Frisk, Chara hadn’t really enjoyed eating anything. Excited that her sense of taste had returned, she scooped up another huge spoonful and shoved it into her mouth. As she devoured to ice cream, Chara noticed there was text in the bowl. “Huh? What’s this?” She lifted the bowl, tilting it back so she could read what was written inside. “ ‘I hope your day is full of smiles. You deserve it!’ ”

            “EVERY BOWL HAS A NICE MESSAGE WRITTEN ON IT,” Papyrus explained. “THAT’S WHY IT’S CALLED ‘NICE CREAM.’ PERHAPS EVERYTHING SHOULD HAVE A NICE MESSAGE WRITTEN ON IT. THOUGH I IMAGINE IT MIGHT NOT BE AS IMPACTFUL GETTING THE SAME NICE MESSAGE OVER AND OVER AGAIN.”

            “That’s dumb,” Chara said, pushing her bowl away. Though she felt warm as she glanced at the bowl again. When she looked up at Papyrus, he was grinning at her. “What?”

            “YOU HAVE ICE CREAM ALL OVER YOUR FACE. IT’S ENDEARING. NYEH HEH HEH!”

            Embarrassed, Chara snatched up a napkin and wiped off her face with vigorously. “Don’t laugh at me!” She sighed and stared at Papyus’ bowl of strawberry Nice Cream.

            “WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY SOME?” Papyrus asked.

            “I guess.” Chara took her spoon to steal some ice cream from his bowl, but then he offered his own spoon to her with a small scoop already on it. A blush crossed Chara’s face. Grumbling under her breath about Papyrus’ lack of personal space, she accepted the bite of ice cream. It was sweet, but too fruity for her taste. Feeling her heart pounding, Chara shook her head. “I don’t like it.” She felt her face growing hot. Confused, Chara shrunk away from Papyrus. What was that feeling?

            When Chara got home, Toriel was in the middle of making dinner. For the first time since Chara woke up, Sans was not by Frisk’s side. “Want to help with dinner?” Frisk asked, smiling over at Chara. Shrugging, Chara tossed her small bag with the nail polish onto the kitchen table and headed over to help them.

            “How was your day my child?” Toriel asked.

            “Fine.”

            “You hung out with Papyrus again, right?” Frisk asked.

            “Yeah.” Chara watched with narrowed eyes as Toriel handed her a knife and a bowl of fruit. She stared at the knife in her hand. It would be so easy to catch both Toriel and Frisk off guard and kill them. Her hand tightened around the knife.

            “You’re becoming close friends, that’s good.” Frisk turned away to move a pot onto the stove.

            For a moment Chara said nothing. She recalled the times when she sliced a knife across Toriel’s chest. It had been so easy to kill her. Then Chara glanced up and looked over at the bag on the kitchen table. That had been in the past. Chara had to be better than that. Chara forced herself to turn away and start chopping up the fruit. Both Frisk and Toriel looked relieved.

            “Do you want to go to the festival tomorrow?” Frisk asked.

            “No.” Chara shook her head. “I was going to just stay here.” She shrugged. “It’s exhausting being around so many people.” Frisk nodded.

            “Would you like to still stay in the guest room?” Toriel gathered three plates and pulled them down as Chara poured the chopped up fruit back into the bowl. “You could decorate it or perhaps you could move into Frisk’s room?”

            Chara paused. It would be easy to harm Frisk if they shared the same room. She shook her head. “I want my own room.”

            “That’s fine,” Frisk said with a smile. “We’ll just be a room away if you ever need us.”

            “Besides, I wouldn’t want to hear you and Sans making out every night, right sister?” Chara turned and shot a mischievous grin at Frisk, whose face deepened to a dark red. “You’ll want your privacy I imagine.”

            “Wh-What?” Frisk’s reply came out as a squeak.

            “You heard me. Your love is so sweet it’s almost disgusting.” Pacing over to the table with her fruit bowl, Chara rolled her eyes. “Geez, at least I’m not in your head anymore.”

            “Chara!” Frisk exclaimed. “What are you implying?”

            “Nothing at all.” Chara grinned back as Toriel laughed.

            Dinner was nice. Chara felt much more comfortable around her family without someone looming over her. After dinner Chara took a quick shower and then collapsed into bed. She fell asleep with a small smile on her face. In the end it seemed that everything would turn out well. Each day, she felt more and more healed. Something kept her from reverting back to her previous state. Yet, she wasn’t quite sure exactly what it was.

            After Toriel and Frisk left for the day, Chara turned on the TV and flopped on the couch with her nail polish. She stared at the bottle and sighed. “I guess I might as well use this.” She opened it and pulled out the small delicate brush. “Still seems dumb though.”

            “GOOD MORNING CHARA!” The door flew open as Papyrus entered. “READY FOR ANOTHER ADVENTURE?”

            “I want to stay home,” Chara said, shooting a glare at him.

            “WELL I SUPPOSE ONE DAY OF RELAXING IS ACCEPTABLE. AS LONG AS IT DOESN’T BECOME A HABIT!” Papyrus said, glancing over at Chara, who had taken over the entire couch.

            Chara lifted up her feet, clearing a spot for Papyrus. “Sit down.” As soon as he did, she dropped her feet into his lap. As she painted her nails, she spotted Papyrus’ huge grin. “What?”

            “YOU’RE USING THAT NAIL POLISH! I AM SO HAPPY YOU LIKE IT!” Blushing a little, Chara glanced away. She continued to paint her nails as Papyrus drummed absentmindedly on her legs. Like always, he wore gloves. “WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO WATCH ON TV?”

            “Anything, as long as it’s not that dumb Mettaton’s show.”

            Papyrus nodded and began to flip through the channels. After a while he left it on a cheesy soap opera. Chara rolled her eyes. His taste in TV shows was horrible. Though, she didn’t really have a preference for anything in particular. As Chara finished one hand, she held it out and examined the polish. It was sloppy, but she didn’t feel like doing it again. Chara switched to her other hand and began to paint those nails. Once finished she held out both hands to examine the paint.

            “GREEN IS YOUR COLOR,” Papyrus said. “IT LOOKS GREAT ON YOU!” Raising her gaze to look at him, Chara managed a small smile. “ARE YOU GOING TO PAINT YOUR TOES TOO?” He tapped his fingers across her toes and Chara choked back a giggle. “WHAT?” A puzzled look crossed Papyrus’ face.

            “Stop that!” Chara kicked her foot and pulled it away from his hand.

            “OH! YOU’RE TICKLISH CHARA?” Papyrus grabbed her foot again. “NYEH HEH HEH!” Once again the skeleton tickled her foot and Chara burst into laughter.

            “Stop! I hate being tickled!” Chara said, struggling to pull her foot away.

            “BUT YOU’RE SMILING!”

            Despite Chara’s angry pleas, Papyrus continued to tickle her feet. Laughter spilled from her lips even as she tried to hold it back. “It’s a reflex!” Though her smile still grew wide. After a few more moments of tickling, Papyrus stopped. He stared at her with his own huge smile. “What?”

            “YOUR SMILE IS BEAUTIFUL!”

            Chara’s face began to burn. She pulled her feet off of Papyrus’ lap and sat up. Her heart pounded in her chest. “Why do you say things like that?”

            “WHY NOT?” Papyrus tilted his head to one side, looking confused. “IT’S THE TRUTH! BESIDES I LIKE IT WHEN YOU SMILE! YOU NEVER SEEM THAT HAPPY, BUT PERHAPS THAT’S CHANGING? YOU SMILE MUCH MORE NOW.” Chara shook her head. “WHAT’S WRONG?”

            “I don’t understand,” She said, voice growing quiet. “I don’t understand what I’m feeling.” Her head drooped down.

            With her eyes locked on the floor, Chara fell silent. The couch shifted as Papyrus slid closer to her. Chara felt his arm curl around her shoulder. At first, she wanted to pull away. The feeling that pulsed through her whenever he was around scared her. She hadn’t been able to feel such happiness in a long time. Chara wanted to be closer. She leaned her head against Papyrus’ shoulder, letting him pull her in. Chara reached over with a hand and curled her fingers together with his. She pulled his hand over to hold it in both of hers. The fabric of his gloves was soft in her hands. Chara idly wondered what his hands felt like and tugged on his glove.

            “CHARA? WHAT ARE YOU DOING?”

            “I want to hold your hand.”

            “YOU ARE HOLDING MY HAND!”

            Chara rolled her eyes and pulled the glove off entirely. As her hand brushed Papyrus’, he pulled away. She glanced up with a frown. “What?”

            “I UH WELL I DON’T REALLY LIKE TOUCHING WITHOUT MY GLOVES ON!” Looking embarrassed, Papyrus reached for his glove, but Chara held it tight in her hands.

            “Why not?” She asked.

            “IT’S WEIRD!”

            “Is it?” Chara’s grip loosened on the glove and she let Papyrus take it from her. “Why?”

            Looking embarrassed, Papyrus shrugged. “I ALWAYS WEAR GLOVES. IT’S WEIRD NOT TO!” Although he said that, he set the glove aside and hesitantly reached out his hand to Chara. “BUT MAYBE IT’S NOT TOO BAD?”

            Papyrus was always so trusting. He always did his best to make everyone else happy. Even when Frisk failed to fight back, Papyrus never harmed her. He didn’t have a single mean bone in his body. Chara took his hand in both of hers, running her fingers along the bones. They were rougher than Chara imagined. Bones always looked so smooth. Papyrus let her take his other glove off as well.

            Holding both of Papyrus’ hands in hers, Chara closed her eyes. Everything around her felt solid. It had been such a long time since Chara felt secure. Without a SOUL everything felt unstable. For the first time in a long time, Chara felt every emotion clearly. The loneliness from the past few months caused her chest to ache. The happiness from her time spent with Papyrus brought a smile to her face. A different feeling burned through her chest as she held the skeleton’s hands tight in hers. Tears began to stream down Chara’s cheeks. Everything hurt. Everything stung. Everything burned. All at once Chara realized that she could feel again. She could feel everything all at once. She felt human.

            “YOU’RE CRYING!” Papyrus pulled his hands away and placed them on Chara’s face. “DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG?” He brushed away her tears as she smiled. “WHY ARE YOU SMILING? NOW I DON’T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU’RE FEELING EITHER!” Chara shook her head and pushed Papyrus’ hands aside, opening up his arms again. Leaning forward, Chara hugged him tight. She buried her face in soft red fabric of his cape near his neck. Papyrus squeaked in surprise. “YOU NORMALLY DON’T WANT AFFECTION.” He returned the hug, pulling her close and hesitating for only a brief moment as his ungloved hands touched her. “SO MAYBE, I DID SOMETHING RIGHT?”

            Chara nodded, but remained silent. She relished in the feelings and in the security of her new existence.  Everything felt right.

            The door creaked open. Sans’ voice drifted in as he entered. “so i was thinkin’ we could go to the beach and-” He broke off.

            “HELLO BROTHER! HELLO FRISK!” Papyrus said. Chara felt him twist his head around to look over at the pair that just entered. She raised her head. Frisk seemed both happy and a little embarrassed, but Sans glowered at Chara. He kept the same smile as always, but the friendly look in his eyes was gone. Chara hugged Papyrus tighter, glaring back at Sans. She knew Sans would never forgive her for what happened, even if it had been Frisk’s fault to begin with. No matter what, Chara would hold on to her new meaning. She wouldn’t let Sans take that from her.

            “Let’s go. I want to go for a walk.” Chara rose from the couch, firmly grasping Papyrus’ hand.

            “OH, SURE! THERE ARE PLENTY OF PLACES AROUND TOWN I STILL WANT TO SHOW YOU!” Papyrus said. “WE WILL SEE YOU TWO LATER!”

            “Bye sister,” Chara said to Frisk. As her and Papyrus walked to the front door, Sans’ and Chara made eye contact. Chara pointedly did not speak to him.

            Once outside, Papyrus dragged Chara along in a brisk walk. “I KNOW JUST THE PLACE TO TAKE YOU TODAY! DURING SUMMER THIS GARDEN IS THE BEST! THERE’S FLOWERS EVERYWHERE AND WALKING THROUGH IT ALWAYS MAKES FOR A FANTASTIC DAY!” As the pair headed down the street Papyrus swung their hands back and forth. “THOUGH EVERY DAY I’VE SPENT WITH YOU HAS BEEN FANTASTIC!” When Chara glanced upwards and the two of them made eye contact, Papyrus glanced away, blushing. “THAT’S NOT A WEIRD THING TO SAY RIGHT? I MEAN IT’S COMPLETELY TRUE! AND UH UH UH-” He broke off and squeezed Chara’s hand, running his thumb along her skin. “IT’S GREAT BEING TOGETHER WITH YOU!” When Chara smiled back, Papyrus’ face grew redder. “WOWIE IT’S HOT OUT HERE!”      

            Ebott’s town garden brimmed with a variety of flowers. Though most of the garden had some golden flowers creeping in. As they walked, Chara admired the flowers, brushing her hand along the petals. She always liked flowers. They were beautiful and strong. It took a lot to kill a plant. Chara frowned. She wondered how Asriel was. It must have been lonely down in the Underground without any of the other monsters. “Do you remember Flowey?” Chara asked in a quiet voice.

            “HM? WHY OF COURSE! FLOWEY WAS A GREAT FRIEND! I WONDER WHY HE DIDN’T JOIN US ON THE SURFACE?”

            “We should go back for him.” Chara stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. If she could be saved, then so could Asriel. Papyrus glanced at her and then nodded in agreement.

            Before Chara could say anything else about the matter, a child called out, “Hi Papyrus!” Up ahead on the path were a group of monster and human children. They had a small stand that sold flower pots and small circlets of flowers.

            “HELLO CHILDREN!” As they walked over, Chara examined one of the flower pots. She let go of Papyrus’ hand to pick it up.

            “You’re selling these right?” Chara asked.

            “Yup!” One monster child said. “To raise money for the garden!”

            Chara turned and showed the pot to Papyrus. “Can you get this for me?”

            “WHY OF COURSE!”

            The children all glanced at each other and snickered. Chara frowned, wondering why they were laughing. A little human child picked up one of the circlets of flowers. “You would look pretty in this miss!”

            “Doubt it,” Chara said back with a sneer. “Those are for children.”

            “You should get it for your girlfriend Papyrus,” A monster child said. They had a mischievous look in their eye.

            Both Chara and Papyrus blushed. “I SIMPLY DO NOT KNOW WHERE YOU GOT THAT IMPRESSION BUT-” Papyrus began to say.

            “ ‘Cause you were holding hands and walking in the flower garden together,” A human child said. “Duh.”

            “You’re mistaken,” Chara snapped at the children and turned to walk away. Her pace quickened as she hurried to rush away. Regardless of her feelings toward Papyrus, she doubted he felt the same. She lacked a SOUL. As far as he knew she could snap and kill him at any moment. Tears began to appear at the corner of Chara’s eyes. She brushed them away with an angry snap of her hand.

            “CHARA WAIT!” In just a few strides, Papyrus managed to catch up with her. “PLEASE DON’T BE UPSET!” Chara whirled around, about to yell at the skeleton. Then she saw the golden crown of flowers in his hands. “HERE!” Chara froze as Papyrus slipped it onto her head. “I THINK THE CHILDREN WERE RIGHT! IT DOES LOOK GOOD ON YOU!” He gestured to the matching one on his own head. “ALMOST AS GOOD AS ON ME, RIGHT? NYEH HEH HEH!”

            All of Chara’s anger melted away. She stepped forward and leaned her head against Papyrus’ chest, hugging the flower pot close. “I don’t understand you.” Papyrus hugged her, leaning his head down to rest his chin on the top of her head. Chara figured they could go to the Underground to retrieve Asriel later. She fell quiet and walked with Papyrus as he chattered on about the flowers in the garden. She maintained a tight hold on his hand, refusing to let go again. “You know you haven’t been wearing your gloves this whole time?”

            “I SUPPOSE IT’S NOT SO BAD AFTER ALL! I LIKE THE FEELING OF YOUR HAND!” As the pair of them made eye contact they both blushed and glanced away again. Chara rubbed Papyrus’ hand with her thumb and he returned the touch.

            That night Chara gently set her new ring of flowers on her bedside table, tossing the dead flower into the trash. She flopped down onto her bed and rolled over, snuggling into the pillows and blankets. Everything seemed to be alright. Staring her gift from Papyrus, Chara closed her eyes and fell asleep with a smile. Everything would be alright.

            The wind howled. The snow crunched under Chara’s feet as she walked forward. In between the flurries, she could see Papyrus’ open armed gesture. Frisk sobbed in the back of Chara’s mind, but made no attempt to stop the slaughter. Frisk had given up fighting. No matter what they did, Chara would always have control. Chara raised the knife and slashed. The fool of a skeleton made no moves to protect himself. His body shattered into dust and his head fell down into the snow.

            “W-WELL, THAT'S NOT WHAT I EXPECTED... BUT... ST... STILL! I BELIEVE IN YOU! YOU CAN DO A LITTLE BETTER!” Chara sneered as the skeleton jabbered on and on. “EVEN IF YOU DON'T THINK SO! I... I PROMISE...” With a roll of her eyes, Chara raised her foot. Papyrus’ skull crunched underneath her foot and then exploded into dust.

            The wind howled. Along with snow, the newly formed dust swirled around the Snowdin and Waterfall crossing. Chara continued forward, trampling on the long red cape left in the snow. She did not bother to look backwards. There were more monsters to kill. “What a stupid skeleton,” Chara mused to herself as she examined her knife. The dust coated the knife and she sighed and wiped it off. “There, now you’re gleaming again.”

            Toriel’s house was too dark at night. Chara lurched awake, gasping for breath. She stumbled from bed and rushed to the bathroom. Falling to her knees, Chara leaned over the toilet and gasped for breath. Her stomach lurched as she threw up. Her whole body trembled as she fell back onto the floor, staring up at the ceiling. The disgusting crunch still echoed through her mind. She scrambled back up to her knees and threw up again when she thought back on the nightmare. Once her stomach settled, her eyes began to burn. With a loud _thunk_ , Chara fell onto her side and curled up, sobbing into her knees.

            Footsteps echoed from the hallway and the light to the bathroom turned on. “Chara?” Frisk stood in the doorway, rubbing her eyes. “What’s wrong?” She knelt beside Chara, placing a hand on her back.

            “I’ve never felt that before,” Chara said with a whimper.

            “What?”

            “That regret. That horror at what I did.” When she looked up and caught sight of Frisk’s sympathetic look, Chara pulled away. “Stop! It was your fault!” She kicked her feet out at Frisk, knocking her away. “I didn’t want to live again! I didn’t want to have to ever feel again!” Crawling backwards, Chara hit her back on the bathtub. “Why did you do this me?”

            “Do you want me to get Mom?” Frisk asked. Chara shook her head. “Chara, I’m sorry.” Frisk sat down on the floor. “It may take a long time to heal and I know that it’s my fault that everything happened, but at the same time, I was scared. I didn’t know anything about monsters or the Underground or you.” Frisk stood and approached Chara, stepping softly on the hard tile. Holding out her hand, Frisk smiled at Chara. “But we can work through this together. Everyone is here for you.”

            Still crying, Chara managed a nod. She reached out and took Frisk’s hand, letting her pull her to her feet. Together they walked back to Chara’s room. “It’s all in the past now,” Chara said. Frisk nodded. “Go back to bed Frisk.”

            “See you in the morning Chara,” Frisk said as she left the room. The door clicked shut behind her.

            After going back to bed, Chara did not get up for several days. She sulked in her room. Toriel brought her pie and soup every day, but Chara barely touched it. On the third day, Chara managed to pull herself out of bed. The nightmares had been relentless, but the pain became duller with each night. As she trudged down the stairs, she stared down at her nails. The paint had begun to chip off. Chara rounded the corner to go into the living room. To her surprise, Papyrus was there, pacing back and forth. His eyes lit up in happiness when he saw her.

            “YOU MUST BE FEELING BETTER!” He rushed over to her. “FRISK SAID YOU WERE NOT FEELING WELL AND I FIGURED THAT I SHOULDN’T BOTHER YOU, BUT I WAS FEELING QUITE WORRIED SO I CAME HERE EVERY DAY IN HOPES THAT YOU WOULD FEEL WELL ENOUGH TO COME DOWN AND NOW THAT-”

            “Every day?” Chara interrupted. She was surprised that Toriel and Frisk never told her. Though Chara pretended to be sleeping each time they came in.

            “OF COURSE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, PLACE GREAT VALUE IN OUR FRIENDSHIP!” Without warning, Papyrus hugged Chara tight and spun her around. “I MISSED YOU!” Papyrus kept hugging Chara, even after setting her back down. “I’M SO GLAD YOU’RE FEELING BETTER MY DEAR FRIEND!” Chara nodded, hugging Papyrus back. “THOUGH PERHAPS IT IS BEST FOR YOUR HEALTH IF WE DO NOT GO OUT ON AN ADVENTURE FOR A FEW DAYS! YOU NEED TO PRESERVE YOUR STRENGTH, NOT THAT I WOULD KNOW I SUPPOSE. I NEVER GET SICK!”

            “Yeah that would be-hey!” Papyrus scooped Chara up into his arms as she spoke. Her face turned a bright red as she found herself face to face with him. The happy look in his eyes was so genuine.

            “LET’S RELAX HERE AT HOME!” Papyrus strode over to the couch and set Chara down, sitting next to her.

            “God you’re such an idiot,” Chara mumbled under her breath. Heart pounding in her chest, she slid her legs up onto the couch and laid down with her head in Papyrus’ lap. Being a skeleton, he wasn’t exactly comfortable to lay on. Chara snatched up a pillow from the floor and tossed it onto Papyrus’ lap before setting her head down again. “Just don’t watch anything stupid on TV okay?”

            When Papyrus didn’t say anything, Chara turned to look up at him. He stared back down at her with a fond expression. A blush covered his cheeks as they made eye contact. After a few seconds, Papyrus reached out and laid his hand on Chara’s cheek. She felt the rough texture of his hands.

            “You’re not wearing gloves,” Chara said, smiling.

            “THERE WEREN’T ANY THAT WENT WITH MY OUTFIT!” Papyrus said, making Chara roll her eyes. “WHAT?”

            “Nothing,” She said and turned her head back, closing her eyes. Slowly, Papyrus began to run his hand through her hair, gently stroking her head.

            “YOUR HAIR IS-IS VERY SOFT.”

            “How can you feel without nerves?” Chara muttered. As Papyrus continued to stroke her hair, she felt as if she was going to melt into his lap. It was such a soothing gesture. She would have never guessed the rambunctious skeleton could be so gentle. With a content sigh, Chara stretched out her legs and the tension disappeared from her body.               

            Time ticked by slowly. After a long while, Papyrus ran his hand down along Chara’s shoulders and her side, before stopping there. He rubbed small circles into her side, though it felt like he was a bit unsure of what he was doing. Chara reached over with one hand and took Papyrus’ other hand, twisting their fingers together. Rolling over, Chara opened her eyes to look up at Papyrus. The smile on his face was small and Chara was surprised by the tender look in his eyes. He reached over and stroked her cheek.

            “I MUST ADMIT TO YOU CHARA I-I HAVE NEVER FELT LIKE THIS BEFORE. THIS FEELING IS SO INDESCRIBABLE! I-I-” Papyrus broke off. He ran his hand through Chara’s hair again, twisting a strand around his fingers. “WOWIE, I CAN’T EVEN TALK STRAIGHT.” Beginning to blush again, Papyrus glanced away.

            Chara pulled his hand to her lips. She placed a gentle kiss on his palm, watching as his entire face turned red. Chara giggled in response. “Ask me out,” She said. “Let’s go on a date.”

            “A D-D-DATE?!”

            “Unless you don’t want to,” Chara said with a disappointed look.

            “WELL, I HAVE VERY HIGH STANDARDS YOU KNOW!” Again, Papyrus ran his hand through Chara’s hair. She nodded in agreement and grabbed his other hand, kissing the back of it. “OH! YOU-YOU ALREADY KNOW THAT YOU MEET ALL OF MY STANDARDS, HUH?”

            “Where will our date be?” Chara asked, holding both of Papyrus’ hands in hers. The pounding of her heart increased as her face burned.

            “I-I DON’T KNOW. I’M NOT VERY GOOD AT DATING! I READ A DATING MANUAL ONCE, BUT IT DIDN’T REALLY WORK OUT WELL SINCE MY ONLY DATE WAS WITH FRISK AND I WASN’T INTERESTED IN HER AT ALL!” He cocked his head to the side, staring down at Chara. “WHICH IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM NOW SINCE I LIKE YOU VERY MUCH!”

            Chara’s eyes widened in surprise. She smiled and shook her head. “You dork.”

            “WHERE DO YOU THINK WOULD BE A GOOD PLACE FOR A DATE?”

            Chara shrugged. “Like I would know. I died when I was twelve and have lived as a ghost for the past eight years. Longer if you count the other timelines. I don’t know anything about that.” She paused and stared up at Papyrus, holding his hands tight in hers. All she knew was how badly she wanted to be with him and how much he had impacted her existence.

            “THE LAST NIGHT OF THE FESTIVAL IS TONIGHT,” Papyrus said. “PERHAPS WE CAN GO THERE! I THINK THAT IS AN OFTEN VISITED DATE SITE!” Chara considered the festival and then nodded in agreement. “PERFECT! THAN WE WILL GO THERE TONIGHT!” Chara nodded and let go of Papyrus’ hands, rolling over again. With a gentle touch, Papyrus stroked her hair again. “I AM SO HAPPY THAT I’VE MET YOU.”

            “Me too,” Chara said softly.

            Soon after, Papyrus left to go prepare for their date. Chara headed upstairs to take a quick shower. Then, she walked in Frisk’s room and threw open the closet doors to look for a suitable outfit for that night. Humming to herself, Chara pulled out a variety of shirts, shorts, and dresses. As she examined them she felt a blush growing. It felt insane that she was actually going to go on a date.

            “what game are you playing?”

            Chara jumped and whirled around to see Sans leaning against the door frame. A furious look covered his face. “You forgot to knock.” Chara turned away. “Did you forget how? You do it like this.” She knocked on the bedframe. “And then I tell you it’s okay to come in.” Glancing back, Chara glared at Sans. “What game are you even talking about?”

            “don’t play dumb,” Sans snapped back. “look, maybe frisk thinks that you’re fixable, but it seems to me that you’re dangerous.”

            Chara rolled her eyes. “Says the monster that can literally blast me to smithereens.” She turned back and gestured with her hands. “Boom.”

            “what do you want with my bro?”

            “Obviously I want to kill him, that’s the conclusion you came to with your itty bitty brain?” Chara said with a snide tone as she tossed aside a shirt. “Beep! Wrong answer. Try again later comedian.”

            Sans’ left eye lit up for a moment, but he chose not to act. “listen buddy, i really don’t appreciate you playing with his feelings.”

            “I’m not playing with anything.” Chara began to put some of the clothes back. “Leave me alone.”

            “he’s not wearing his gloves anymore,” Sans said, taking a threatening step forward. “that’s not like him at all.”

            “Sometimes people change,” Chara said, rolling her eyes again. “Do you just think I’m a horrible influence? Oh no, your baby brother doesn’t want to wear his gloves? That demon child must be planning to kill him.” She laughed and turned to stare down at the bed. “Don’t be an idiot.”

            “we all know you manipulate people,” Sans said, crossing his arms. “the way you’ve been in the past, if you continue to act like that…you’re going to have a bad time.” Sans’ pupils disappeared as he spoke.

            “Oh now it’s time for threats huh? Well listen here you-” Chara broke off and paused for a minute, before grinning. “My brother called you ‘smiley trashbag.’ That seems fitting to me.” Chara hopped up onto the bed and leaned back on her hands. “Listen you smiley trashbag. I don’t like you. I don’t like that Frisk and Mom like you. As much as you love to blame me for Frisk’s initial mishap, it’s getting old. I’m not the demon you seem to think I am.”

            Sans snorted and rolled his eyes. “just stay away from papyrus and maybe i won’t kill you.”

            Fury erupted in Chara. She leapt back off the bed and marched up to Sans. Towering over him, Chara snarled back, “Listen to me and get this through your thick skull. I would never, ever hurt your precious baby brother.” Clenching her hands into fists, Chara resisted the urge to shove Sans backwards. “I-I care about him.”

            “yeah right. i don’t know what your plan is, but there’s obviously more to that story.”

            Chara shoved Sans back. “What do you know?! You don’t know anything about me!” Chara took a step back and took in a deep breath. “I don’t need to justify my feelings to you.”

            “didn’t know demons had feelings.”

            “You-You piece of trash! You’re the one that doesn’t have any feelings!” Raising a hand to her chest, Chara clutched at her shirt. “I don’t have a SOUL. You’re right about that. Any moment I could lose grip of everything and kill everyone you love again. But that’s not going to happen, because I know what it means to be human again. Your brother, Papyrus, he’s my anchor.” Sans’ eyes widened in surprise. “He showed me how to feel again. He showed me what’s right and what’s wrong. I adore him! You’re an idiot if you think there’s anything more to that story.” Whirling around, Chara trembled. She clenched her hands so tight together that her nails dug into her skin.

            Sans remained silent. When Chara turned back, he was gone. With a sigh of relief, Chara turned back and continued to examine the dresses. She chose a green one. Lifting it up, Chara examined the buttons that ran down the front from the collar. The dress matched her nail polish well. She nodded and returned all the other dresses to the closet. Spotting a pair of brown dress sandals, Chara snatched them up and walked back to her room. After changing into the dress and sandals, she touched up the nail polish on her fingers and painted her toes. Gently, Chara picked up the ring of golden flowers and slipped it onto her head.

            Feeling nervous, Chara paced the house as she waited for Papyrus. Both Toriel and Frisk fawned over her, but Chara just brushed them off. “It’s no big deal,” She insisted, even as her heart pounded in her chest.

            “I am just so happy for you my child!” Toriel said. Frisk nodded, but before her family could say anything. Chara heard a familiar knock on the door.

            “Bye!” She rushed over to the door, opened it and stepped out. Papyrus met her with a huge smile. Chara had expected him to wear some dorky outfit like he had on Frisk’s date, but he surprised her. He wore khaki shorts and a purple collared shirt. “Nice hat.” Chara flicked the brim of Papyrus’ black beret.

            “YOU’RE WEARING THE FLOWERS!” Papyrus said with an excited look. Chara blushed a bit and nodded. “I’M GLAD I GOT THEM FOR YOU! YOU LOOK VERY PRETTY!”

            Caught off guard by the compliment, Chara struggled to think of a response as Papyrus took her hand in his. Together they strolled off toward the beach. As they walked Papyrus swung their hands like usual. “You look nice too.”

            “I KNOW, ALPHYS AND UNDYNE HELPED ME PICK OUT MY OUTFIT! I WANTED TO WEAR SOMETHING ELSE BUT UH THEY THOUGHT THIS ONE WAS MUCH COOLER!” Chara giggled, imagining the “Cool Dude” outfit.

            “I’m surprised they were okay with this,” Chara said, feeling relieved.

            Papyrus glanced at her with a bit of a guilty look. “WELL, WHY OF COURSE! WHY WOULDN’T THEY BE?”

            Chara sighed. “You didn’t tell them who the date was with.”

            “THE OTHERS WILL COME AROUND,” Papyrus said. He frowned and squeezed her hand. “AFTER THE WAY SANS REACTED, I DECIDED TO LEAVE OUT SOME DETAILS WHEN I TOLD ALPHYS AND UNDYNE, BUT I KNOW THE OTHERS WILL LIKE YOU JUST AS MUCH SOMEDAY! WELL, HOPEFULLY, NOT JUST AS MUCH BUT YOU KNOW WHAT I UH MEANT.” Chara nodded, deciding to remain quiet about her previous talk with Sans.

            The festival lit up the beach and could be seen from almost a mile away. Chara stayed close to Papyrus’ side. She didn’t particularly want to be around so many people, but it was worth it. As they strolled under the lights, Chara caught sight of a dessert stand run by Muffet. One of the featured baked goods was a piece of chocolate cake. Her eyes sparkled from excitement. “Let’s go play that game!” She said, dragging Papyrus over to the stand.

            “Hello my dearies,” Muffet said as she leaned forward on two arms. With another two, she gestured to the bottle game beside her. “Want to try to win a prize?”

            “OF COURSE!” Papyrus said. He fished some of the tickets from his pocket and gave three to Muffet. With a grin, she handed him a few baseballs.

            “Try your best dearie.”

            Papyrus eyed the bottles and Chara watched with anticipation as he knocked them all down with the first ball. “PIECE OF CAKE! NYEH HEH HEH!”

            Muffet didn’t look too surprised. She clapped two pairs of hands and laughed. “Wonderful job dearie, pick out a treat!”

            Chara glanced to Papyrus and when he nodded back she grabbed the piece of cake. As she ate, Papyrus wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “I love these desserts.” With a slight blush, Chara offered a bite to him.

            “I AGREE, THEY’RE VERY GOOD! WOULD YOU LIKE TO PLAY MORE GAMES? OR PERHAPS WE CAN GO ON ONE OF THE RIDES?”

            Chara pondered the question as she finished her cake. “Let’s go out on the beach.” She tossed the plate into a trash can and took Papyrus’ hand. “I’m sick of being around so many people.” Tugging a bit, Chara began to quickly walk through the crowds, heading toward an emptier spot on the beach.

            Light and noise from the festival still invaded the beach, but there was a quiet spot further down. Together the pair walked down to it. Chara paused and looked up, staring at the stars. “THE MOON IS FULL TONIGHT AND IT SURE IS PRETTY, HUH?” Papyrus glanced over at Chara and turned, taking her other hand in his. Standing face to face, Chara stared up at him, beginning to blush. “HAS THIS BEEN FUN FOR YOU?”

            “I guess,” Chara said, permitting a small smile to cross her face.

            “GREAT! I SUPPOSE THAT IS AN INDICATION OF A SUCCESSFUL DATE! RIGHT?”

            Chara felt her heart pounding in her chest. She dropped Papyrus’ hands and stepped closer, looping her arms around him to hug him close. Papyrus hugged back immediately, placing one hand in her hair. She smiled even more as he stroked her hair. “Thank you,” She said softly. “You saved me.”

            “I’M GLAD, I WAS A LITTLE WORRIED AT THE BEGINNING, BUT I KNEW YOU COULD BECOME A GOOD PERSON! I KNEW THAT EVERYTHING WOULD TURNED OUT OKAY!” After a brief pause, Papyrus sighed and fidgeted a bit. “I-I SUPPOSE IT’S THAT TIME NOW…”

            “What time?” Chara asked, glancing up at him with a confused look.

            “WELL! THE DATE IS ALMOST OVER RIGHT? SO IT’S TIME TO EXPRESS OUR FEELINGS FOR ONE ANOTHER!” Blushing a bit, Papyrus continued, “I, PAPYRUS, WILL GO FIRST!”

            “Is this really necessary?” Chara asked, feeling her own face burn.

            “OF COURSE! IT’S IN THE DATING HANDBOOK!”

            Chara shook her head and was about to say something else when Papyrus placed his hands on either side of her face.

            “CHARA, I JUST WANTED TO EXPRESS HOW GLAD I AM TO BE WITH YOU! EVERY DAY TOGETHER HAS BEEN FANTASTIC AND I UH I-I-” Papyrus broke off, glancing away. Then he took a deep breath and shouted, “I LOVE YOU CHARA!”

            At first Chara wasn’t sure what to say in response. She stared at Papyrus with a shocked look. She had never expected him to be so bold. Shaking a bit, Chara smiled and stepped closer. A worried look crossed Papyrus’ face when Chara didn’t say anything but then she got up on the tips of her toes and wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer. She kissed him, feeling her love burning throughout her body. Everything felt so perfect and right. When Chara pulled away, Papyrus stared at her with a giddy look.

            “WOWIE! I MUST BE DOING WONDERFUL TO GET A KISS ON THE FIRST DATE!” He scooped Chara off her feet, causing her to laugh in surprise as he twirled her around.

            “You’re a dork,” Chara said, still blushing.

            Being in his arms made her feel safe. Still smiling, Chara leaned her forehead against his. “MAY I KISS YOU AGAIN?” Papyrus asked in a gentler voice.

            “Duh.” Chara rolled her eyes. “Kiss me whenever you want, you-” She was cut off as Papyrus kissed her again. Smiling, Chara closed her eyes and leaned close to him. As he pulled back, she hugged him tight, burying her face in his neck. “I love you,” She whispered.

            “I LOVE YOU TOO! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!”

            Once, Chara felt as though she would never be loved again. She listened to what Asriel said and agreed. The world seemed like a dark and sad place. Though everything changed when she became friends with Papyrus. The world opened up to her as she fell in love. What Chara once thought of as the entire world was actually just the world her and Asriel created. Their lack of SOULs cast a gloom over everything. It created a seemingly kill or be killed world. Though that could be changed.

            “Let’s go to the Underground tomorrow,” Chara said.

            “SURE, THOUGH WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO DO FOR THE REST OF TONIGHT?”

            Looking skyward, Chara leaned her head against Papyrus’. “Let’s just stay here for a while.”

            Without all the other monsters, the Underground seemed gloomy. Walking hand in hand, they headed all the way through the Ruins, looking for Flowey. He didn’t appear until they reached the Ruins. When they entered, Flowey turned in surprise. “Chara?” He asked, tilting his head a bit. He seemed unsure if he was actually looking at Chara. “You’re alive?” His eyes switched focus. “And with Papyrus? Why?”

            “WE CAME BACK TO BRING YOU WITH US TO THE SURFACE!” Papyrus said. “TO BE WITH ALL OUR FRIENDS!”

            “I don’t need your stupid friends,” Flowey snapped and turned away.

            Chara knelt down next to the flower, setting the pot nearby. He looked at it with a disdainful look and then turned back to her. “Come on, we’re going, don’t be a crybaby about it.”

            “You can’t make me go!”

            Chara ignored the flower and pulled out her spade. He shrieked and was about to run away, but Chara quickly uprooted him and placed him in the pot. “You’re going Asriel.”

            “Don’t call me that,” Flowey growled back at her. “Golly, what’s gotten into you? What happened to brutally murdering everyone? I thought Frisk was the kind one.”

            “Shut up,” Chara said, face twisting into a small scowl. “I can be nice if I want to.” She added some more soil to the pot and smoothed it out before picking it up and tucking it in the crook of her arm.

            “Oh, sure, sure. I totally believe that. Last we met, we were just the same Chara. Soulless entities trying to find our places in this kill or be killed world.” Flowey watched with a curious look as Chara took Papyrus’ hand again. “Why are you holding hands?” He narrowed his eyes.

            “Why not?”

            “You’re not wearing gloves,” Flowey said with an interested look. “I could never get you to take those stupid things off,” He muttered more to himself than to anyone else. “What did you do Chara?”

            “IT IS GOOD TO SEE YOU AGAIN FLOWEY!” Papyrus said, before the flower could snap back a retort at Chara. “DON’T WORRY, CHARA AND I WILL SHOW YOU ALL THE WONDERS OF THE SURFACE! YOU’LL ENJOY IT UP THERE! THERE’ SUN AND FRIENDS AND LOTS OF THINGS TO DO!”

            “Gross,” Flowey said, sticking his tongue out. “I bet your trashbag brother is there too.”

            “OH YES, YOU’LL FINALLY GET TO MEET SANS!”

            Flowey rolled his eyes. “What a joy.” He glanced up at Chara, who had a small smile on her face. “How long have you been alive and separated from Frisk?”

            “A couple months,” Chara replied.

            “AND IN THAT TIME SHE HAS BECOME A WONDERFUL PERSON! I AM SURE YOU WILL TOO FLOWEY!”

            With analytic eyes, Flowey slowly looked between Papyrus and Chara. “I see. This is certainly interesting. I would never have predicted an outcome like this!”

            “Like what?” Chara shot an irritated glance at the flower.

            “Chara and Papyrus sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

            “Shut up!” Blushing, Chara glared at Flowey. He returned her gaze with a sweet, innocent smile.

            “What sister? Don’t you enjoy some leisurely sibling teasing?”

            “I’m going to throw you in the river if you don’t stop!”

            “Rude. You should work on your manners.”

            Papyrus laughed as the pair of siblings bickered. He squeezed Chara’s hand gently and she glanced up at him. “THIS IS THE BEST POSSIBLE ENDING!”

            For a moment, Flowey scowled, but when Chara began smiling, she noticed he smiled too. Chara squeezed Papyrus’ hand back and leaned her head against his arm. “Yeah, I think it is.”


	2. Bonus: Date Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bonus chapter where Papyrus gets ready for his date with Chara.

           Whistling to himself, Papyrus threw open the door to his house. It slammed against the wall, causing Sans to glance up from the book he was reading on the couch. The older of the skeleton brothers was laying down, holding the book above him. He grinned at Papyrus and said, “hey bro. you’re back early.”

            “CHARA IS FEELING MUCH BETTER!” Papyrus announced, grinning wide as he walked in.

            Sans’ smile became strained. “that’s…nice.”

            “IT GETS EVEN BETTER!” Papyrus began to pace the living room as he spoke. “WE ARE GOING OUT ON A DATE!” He whirled around and looked to Sans to see his brother’s scowl. “WHAT?”

            Closing his book, Sans tossed it aside and stood up. “papyrus, why are you hanging out with her so much?” Frustration covered his face as he walked over to his brother.

            “WE’RE FRIENDS!”

            “she doesn’t even have a soul, can she even understand friendship?” Sans asked, causing Papyrus to frown. Sans’ eyes darted down, glancing at his brother’s hands. “you’re still not wearing gloves?”

            “IT’S HOT OUT.”

            “you always wear gloves.”

            “THERE WEREN’T ANY THAT WENT WITH MY OUTFIT!”

            Sans snorted and shook his head. “or did chara suggest you not wear them?” The blush on Papyrus’ face gave away his answer. “why? why listen to that demon?”

            “SANS DON’T CALL HER THAT PLEASE!”

            “she’s toying with you,” Sans said. His voice sounded strained. Papyrus could tell he was upset. “she doesn’t actually care about you.”

            “OF COURSE SHE CARES ABOUT ME!” Papyrus protested. He turned and walked over to the stairs. Placing his hand on the handrail, Papyrus sighed. “PEOPLE CAN CHANGE SANS.”

            “they don’t in my experience,” Sans said. When Papyrus glanced back at him, he stared back with pleading eyes. “listen to me bro. you might not remember the previous timelines, but i do and that-that demon enjoyed-”

            “I DON’T WANT TO HEAR IT!” Papyrus raced upstairs and slammed the door shut behind him. Clenching his hands, he breathed in deeply. There was no point in getting upset. He knew that he hadn’t experienced the other timelines like Sans had, but he could tell that Chara’s feelings were genuine. Why didn’t any of the others understand? Even Undyne and Alphys worried that Chara would hurt him. Papyrus sighed and stared down at his hands. It was strange how Chara made him feel so wonderful and so important, but Papyrus refused to let go of those feelings just because the others were scared for him.

            A ringing filled the room, startling Papyrus. He grabbed his phone from his pocket and answered it. “Yo Papyrus!” Undyne said. “Since tonight’s the last night of the festival, Alphys and I were wondering if you wanted to come with us!”

            “WELL, THANK YOU UNDYNE, BUT UNFORTUNATELY I CANNOT MAKE IT.” Papyrus strode over to his closet and threw open the door, eyeing the variety of clothes.

            “What? Why not?” Undyne yelled back. “C’mon! We won’t be able to play those cheesy games until next year!”

            “I HAVE BEEN PREVIOUSLY OCCUPIED!” Papyrus said, feeling a bit nervous. He began to pace his room. Undyne and Alphys also disapproved of Chara. They had even tried to convince him to stay away from her the day they were out shopping.

            “By what?” Undyne asked. “Can’t you just blow it off?”

            “ABSOLUTELY NOT! I HAVE A DATE!” Without even meaning to, the words escaped Papyrus’ mouth. He winced as he heard Undyne gasp.

            “A date?! With who? You better tell me Papyrus!”

            “IT’S A SECRET!”

            “A blind date? Wow that’s bold. Good for you!” Undyne’s approval made Papyrus smile, even if it was misguided approval. “Well in that case Alphys and I will be over right away to help you prepare!”

            “WHAT?”      

            “Yup! We don’t want you looking like a dork! Right Alphys?” In the background, Papyrus could hear Alphys’ voice, but he couldn’t make out what she was saying. “Of course he wants our help! Right Papyrus?”

            “I SUPPOSE IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO-”

            “Be there in a few then!”

            The phone clicked off, leaving Papyrus to stare at it with a confused look. While he appreciated Undyne’s offer for help, he wasn’t entirely sure that date planning was her specialty, considering she threw her own wife into a trashcan on their first date. Also, if they came over then Sans would tell them who the date was with. Eyes widening, Papyrus raced out of his room. When he headed downstairs, he was surprised to see Sans was gone. Papyrus breathed a sigh of relief. If Undyne found out the date was with Chara, she would be much more aggressive about Papyrus not going than Sans had been.

            The loud knocking on the front door startled Papyrus out of his thoughts. He opened it and found Undyne and Alphys waiting outside. “I hope you’re ready for some expert date advice Papyrus!” Undyne grinned and curled her arm around Papyrus’ neck, pulling him in close.

            “DON’T NOOGIE THE SKELETON!”

            Alphys laughed as Papyrus struggled to get free from Undyne’s grasp. “So, where’s your date Papyrus?”

            “THE FESTIVAL,” He replied as he pulled away from Undyne.

            Alphys nodded. “Well,” She said, pushing her glasses up. “Most of the anime I watch would suggest dress casual for that. What do you think Undyne?”

            “Whatever makes you look good to win their heart!” Undyne said, wrapping her arm around Papyrus’. “Come on! Let’s go try on some clothes!”

            As Undyne tore through Papyrus’ closet searching for the right outfit, Alphys arranged the clothes in suitable outfits. “Hey, wait a minute,” She said, staring at a black jacket. Her eyes scanned the floor and she snatched up a matching pair of pants. “Isn’t this what you wore on our first date Undyne?”

            “Duh, my house had been burned down. I didn’t have any nice clothes so I borrow some from Papyrus,” Undyne said. She picked up the “Cool Dude” t-shirt and scowled. “What is this?”

            “I WORE THAT ON MY DATE WITH FRISK!” Papyrus said proudly. “IT WON ME LOTS OF DATE POINTS!”

            “There’s no way in hell you’re wearing this,” Undyne said and tossed it into the trash can.

            “WHAT?”

            “You can’t just proclaim your coolness,” Alphys said, shaking her head. She hopped up on Papyrus’ bed, swinging her legs back and forth. “Everyone knows that all the cool characters are always really uh well ‘cool’ about their coolness.”

            “You don’t declare your coolness!” Undyne snatched up a black beret and examined it. “Maybe this? Are berets cool?”

            “Most definitely!” Alphys said, nodding. “In Mew Mew Kissy Cutie when she went out on her date she wore a beret! They’re ultimate dating hats!”

            “Awesome! Wear this!” Undyne threw the beret to Papyrus, who barely managed to catch it. “What else Alphys?”

            “Uh, I-I’m not sure.” Paling, Alphys pulled out her phone. “I looked up some dating advice online to help too!”

            “WE SHOULD REFERENCE THE DATING MANUAL!” Papyrus raced over to his bookshelf and pulled down the manual. Undyne snatched it from his hands and flipped it open, scanning the contents.

            “This isn’t a manual,” She muttered. “It’s some cheesy romance novel!”

            “IT IS TOO A DATING MANUAL!”

            Undyne glanced up, scowling at Papyrus. “Just because it’s calling ‘Dating Manual’, doesn’t mean it’s a real manual!”

            “Ah-ha!” Alphys exclaimed. She leapt off the bed and raced over to Papyrus and Undyne. “Look here! I found the best advice!”

            “ ‘Five Things to Wear on Your First Date,’ ” Undyne read, leaning over to see the screen. “It says to have a splash of color.” She looked at the black beret. “Okay? Well let’s find something colorful to go with that!”

            Papyrus grinned and walked over to his closet. “I KNOW JUST THE THING!” He pulled out the floral shirt and both Undyne and Alphys scowled. “WHAT?”

            “That’s just too much color Papyrus!” Alphys said. “Try picking something that’s maybe just one solid color?”

            Papyrus nodded and gazed around the closet. “ALRIGHT! THIS ONE!” He pulled out a lime green t-shirt.

            “I dunno,” Undyne said, tapping her foot. “That seems too casual. Grab something with buttons at least!”

            Tossing the shirt aside, Papyrus pulled out a purple button up shirt. “Perfect!” Alphys exclaimed. “That’ll look great with the beret!”

            “WHAT ABOUT THESE TOO!” Papyrus grabbed a pair of bright blue shorts.

            “Forget that!” Undyne said, scowling.

            “You can’t clash all those colors,” Alphys said.

            “BUT ISN’T BLUE A PART OF PURPLE?”

            Undyne groaned and shook her head. “Let me find some pants,” She said. After snatching up a pair of khaki shorts, Undyne forced Papyrus to go change. Upon his return, she seemed satisfied. “Perfect! You definitely look cool!”

            “Super cool!” Alphys agreed. “You’ll have your date swooning for you in no time! Probably will even get a kiss out of them!”

            Papyrus thought back to the feeling of Chara’s lips pressed against his hand. It would be nice to kiss her. His face glowed a bright red as he clutched his hands close to his chest. “YOU THINK SO?”

            “I know so,” Undyne said, slinging an arm around his shoulder. “You’re going to knock them dead!”

            “WELL THEN THAT WOULDN’T BE VERY GOOD!”

            Undyne sighed. “It’s an expression,” She said, shaking her head. “Anyway, Alphys and I should take off. It must be close to the time you need to leave right?” Papyrus nodded. “Well then, you better do great then!”

            “Good luck Papyrus!” Alphys said. “We believe in you!”

            As the two monsters left, Papyrus turned and stared at himself in his mirror. The outfit did look good on him. He wondered if Chara would like it. Glancing to the flower crown on his table, Papyrus smiled. “OF COURSE SHE’LL LIKE IT!” He said. “THIS DATE WILL BE PERFECT!”


End file.
